Molded article.



J. W. AYLSWORTH.

MOLDED ARTICLE.

APPLICATION man SEPT. 10, 1914.

CORPORATUN 'QF NEW JERSEY.

un i. ruiuroriu ll. lnltllllbl l wenn@ i JONAS V7.' AYLSilVO-RTH, OF EAST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIG-NR, BY MESNE ASE@ nl MENTS, TO NEW JERSEY PATENT CMPNY, 0F WEST lElANCTlE, NEW llllliulg MULDED ARTICLE.

@riginal application led January 3D, 19H22, Serial No. 674,239. Patented Ifury it, lilla, No. 5f l n il. u T* -r Paten ten o* am in Divided and this application tiled September l0,l lul/l. Serial 861,037.

'1932, of Which this application is a division.

lhe said process involves ythe formation of a surface layer of material upon the smooth polished surface of a metallic plate or other blank mold and the transfer of the saine to the surface of the object to be coated under heat and pressure `with the rm adhesion or Welding of the surface veneer to the obn ject. The surface layer thus formed has a smooth homogeneous surface free from air hubblesdust particles and the like, and is of a material Which is hard When cold, but sufficiently plastic when heated, to take a clear impression from a mold or die, such as a'soundrecord matrix. Y

lhe principal object of my invention accordingly is the production of such molded articles as will be more fully described hereinafter.

ll/ly present invention is in part a continuation of my application Ser. No. :Willi/30, filed August 26, 1910, method of molding sound records and other objects.

its preferred" form, my process consists essentially in coating the surface of a blank mold or polished plate with a solution or fused film of ingredients, which, upon being heated, form a surface layer or veneer on the mold surface of a hard infusible, in-V soluble, phenolic condensation product containing plasticity ingredients, such that the veneer becomes sufficiently plastic upon being reheated to take an impression, as stated. rll`he object to be surfaced is pressed into contact vwith this hardened veneer in the mold with application of heat suii'cient to cause the object and the surface layer to become vsion being formed at the salue firmly Welded together, the nmlded object then being cooled and removed from the mold With the surface layer adhering` hereto. The coated blank can then be lieat d and pressed in a sound record or other mold 5Eu to receive the desired impression upon the surface thus formed. The process is not, however, limited to the'use of phenolic condensation products, but may be practised with other substances having the fle ired tu properties, as will be described. rrample, the surface veneer muv be a lacquer composition celluloid dissolved in a suitable solvent and the blank to which tli is transferred in the mold may coi gunrlike binder and a suitable filler, Wood flour.

Sound records and other object surface layer are commonly made ing the surface layer, placinp the s the backing and then pressii i' l and backing together with su flicie advantages of first formingI the su. upon a blank mold and then trans same directly from the mold backing, over the proc numerous. lvl/'here a tuin su desired material, such as material for forming sound records ma usually impossible to handle llic paste it to the backing1 1without surface layer or film, because or t the same is very thin and fragile. come this "difficulty, such iilms formed on or reinforced with paper or oil .c fabric which is then cemented to the bac The paper is comparatively rough and pd rous, and accordingly contains air bubbles 9u and prevents the formation of the l fred hard smooth surface upon the surface :film when the latter is to receive a sound record or other delicate impression. my process, no paper or other reinforcing,1 means is necessary and the metal surface upon which the surface lilm is formed, can be routed. with a film entirely free of air bubbles.

Another advantage over a process in which a paper strip or the like is used, is that the difference of coeicients of expansion of the lvarnish film and the paper are such as will purities.

ultimately cause the film to crack or have its surface impaired when exposed to extreme heat or cold, which difficulty is overcome by my invention.

In my process, the metal plate or blank mold can be highly finished and the film formed thereon will bear a. replica. of the saine high smooth finish and When this film is transferred in the mold to the backing, the surfaced article thus formed will still bear the same highly polished surface. By this processalso the surface of the film, which is subsequently to receive the sound record or other impression, is during the formation of the surface film, neXt to the metal surface of 'the blank mold and is accordingly protected at all stages of its formation and drying from dust and other im- 'Ihe atmosphere in rooms Where such Work is carried on is always charged with dust particles and the smallest particle of dust adhering tothe surface of a sound record for example, impairs the perfection of the surface of the sound record impressed thereon. Where varnished paper is used as a. surface film, the latter is necessarily eXposedto contamination from dust, lint, etc., at some stage of the drying operation during which particles of such foreign matter Will be cemented to the outer surface ofthe film. Furthermore, by my process, if the surface veneer is a hard infusible phenolic condensation product and the backing contains rough particles'or a fibrous filler, the backing being carefully made to have a substantially uniform thickness and density, the fibersor other rough elements of the backing cannot be impressed through the surface film during subsequent pressing because of the hardness of the surface material used. If the surface layer is made of materials Which are less hard than that mentioned and the backing is of a varying thickness or density, some of the fibers or high spots of the backing are apt to be forced through the surface of the I coated article yin spots Where the greatest pressure occurs, thus impairing the perfection of the sound record or other impression made. l

In practising the invention, the polished surface of a blank mold may be painted with or dipped in a solution of the ingredients or the same may be applied to the surface of the mold by spraying ina uniform manner. The material applied to the blank surface may bea solution of a fusible soluble phenolic condensation product, such as the phenol resin described in my application, Ser. No. 496,060, filed May 14, v1909, upon Which United States Patent No. 1,102,630 has been granted, together` With a hardening agent therefor'containing active methylene (CH2) groups, such as hexamethylene-tetra-amin, in a suitablevsolvent Which may be either a volatile solvent, such as amyl alcohol, or a solid solvent, such as mono-nitro-naphthalene or other solvents referred to `in my application, Ser. No. 496,060 referred to, or penta-chloro-phenol or other solvents referred to in my application Ser. No. 604,982, filed January 27, 1911, plastic phenolic condensation products, plastic phenolic condensation products, upon WhichUnited States Patent No. 1,046,187 has been granted. The veneer or coating formed upon the blank mold may be the enamel lacquer or varnish described in my application -Ser. No. 543,239, filed Feb. 11, 1910, upon which United States Patent No. 1,098,608 has been granted.l If a volatile solvent is used, it should be one Whose boiling point is higher thanthe temperature at which it is desired to perform a final hardening reaction of the substance in solution into` a refractory insoluble infusible condensation product. Preferably the veneer coatheat being applied sufficiently to cause the` Welding ofthe surface layer to the blank, and the transfer of the surface layer from the blank mold to the blank or backing upon the cooling and Withdrawal of the backing!- fromthe mold. In some cases it Will be Well to Varnish the surface of the blank or backing which is to vbe Welded to the yeneer film with some of the unhardened varnish before the backing is pressed into'contact With a smooth hardened surface layer, `may be molded object thus formed is cooled 'and withdrawn from the mold.

As stated, the above described process may be carried out broadly with the use of other compositions than those described. rlihus the veneer surface may be formed of celluloid dissolved in a suitable solvent, such as amyl acetate or alcohol and ether, and the blank or backing may be composed of a gum-like binder and a suitable filler such as wood flour or infusorial earth or a mixture of the same, such a composition consisting of approximately 100 parts of gum like binder, and 100 to 300 parts of filler. rfhe blank or backing in each case should be compressed and have a smooth polished surface before the same is pressed into contact with the veneer surface. ln the case last referred to, the blank may be coated with a varnish such as a gutta percha solution to facilitate the transfer of the surface veneer thereo, when the binder 'of the backing is not of itself sufficiently adhesive to cause the veneer film to be transferred thereto when the heated blank is pressed into contact with the veneer. ln addition to the substances referred to for the formation of the surface veneer, iilms formed of cellulose acetate or other cellulose esters may be used which may have compounded therewith a chlorinated'fatty acid or derivative thereof, such as described in my Patent No. 855,556, dated d une 4f, 1907. Ur the surface veneer may be formed from a varnish composition., comprising a cellulose ester, as acetyl cellulose, and a phenol or cr'esol resin, dissolved in lacetylene-tetra-chlorid, with or without the addition of a halogenized fatty acid or derivative, and a small percentage cf hexamethylene-tetra-amin, all as is described in my application Ser. No. 668,942, filed Janu ary 2, 1912, and upon which United States Patent No. 1,094,830 has been granted.

llihe blank or backing should be made thermo-plastic or hot plastic,v that is, have the property of becoming plastic when heated, in equal or greater degree than the surface film. The binder used in the backing may be shellac, copal gum, kauri, rosin, or mixtures of the same, or a phenolic condensation product, preferably a fusible soluble phenol resin, such as that referred to above.

ln the formation of disk phonograph records or other sound records in practising this invention, li preferably proceed as follows: A disk is formed from a powder which comprises approximately two parts of wood :tiour or other suitable ller and one part phenolv resin or equivalent. rllhis disk is made as nearly uniform in thickness and density as may be but certain parts of the surface thereof will be somewhat porous or slightly depressed. 'lhe surface of this disk or backing is then lacquered with some of the varnish composition of which the veneer is to be made, the lacquer being applied to the porous or depressed spots on the blank to fill the same up. The disk is then dried, and repressed in polished dies at a pressure which is somewhat less than the disk will thereafter be subjected to when the sound record impression is impressed in the sur face veneer. rl`he varnish may suitably be applied to the disk by spraying.

A hardened veneer is formed on a metallic smooth plate by coating the same as by spraying with a lacquer comprising approximately 100 parts phenol resin, 2O parts penta-chloro-phenol, 4C parts naphthalene, 6 to 8 parts hexa-methylene-tetra-amin all dissolved in 180 parts denatured alcohol or other solvent. This is dried and the excess of solvent eliminated by placing the metal plate with the lacquer thereon in an oven, and gradually raising the temperature over a period of ten hours up to 160O F. after which the temperature is raised to approxi- `mately 220O F. for asuflicient length of time to cause the reaction of the hexa-methylene tetra-amin and phenol resin to form an infusible condensation product containing the penta-chloro-phenol as a plasticity ingredient. After the reaction is complete, the oven is allowed to cool down gradually to prevent cracking of the veneer.

ll'hen the veneer has been formed upon its metallic plate or blank mold, the blank disk previously formed as described, is welded to the veneer on the plate by pressing the blank into contact with the veneer at a less pressure than that at which the blank has been previously compressed, the pressure used not being sufficient to cause the blank to flow. The veneer is transferred from the metallic plate to the blank in this operation. rlhereafter, if the sound record is to be formed upon the blank thus made, a record o-f the sound waves may be impressed upon the surface of the blank from a metallic matrix in such a manner as not to produce excessive flow of the base. By this means is formed a compound record disk having a hard but hot plastic surface and a plastic backing or body, there being, if desired, a record bearing surface veneer upon both sides of the backing. The backing consists of a substance which softens under the application of heat but which is given stiffness and ability to withstand excessive flow under pressure by the `fibrous filler. Such a compound disk is permanently hot or thermo plastic both in the surface portion and in the backing and can be repressed a number of times successfully. ln the case of sound records particularly, the lacquering of the bod portion'of the disk all over and especial y at the porous spots is made to prevent crackles 1n the sound record, since 1t is difficult to make the body of the powdered resin or similar material containing a large amount of fibrous'filler, Without producing porous spots at the surface.

The process which I have described is an extremely cheap and practical method for manufacturing molded objects, such as those described, because of the comparative cheapness of the blank molds 'in which the surface veneer isformed.

In the drawing forming part of-this specification is shown a side elevation of one embodiment of my invention, the materials employed in the said embodiment being dcscribed in the drawing.

Having now described my invention what I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is l. A sound record or other object coinprising a. thermo plastic base having a surface veneer Welded thereto, said surface veneer containing a final hardened phenolic condensation product and being sufficiently plastic at elevated temperatures to be pressed or molded, substantially as described.

2. A sound record or other object comprising a base of thermo plastic material .containing a fibrous filling material distributed through the same and having a surface veneer welded thereto, said surface veneer containing a final hardened phenolic condensation vproduct .and being sufficiently plastic at elevated temperatures to be pressed or molded, substantially as described.

3. A sound record or other object comprising a base containing a fusible phenolic resin and having a surface veneer of final hardened phenolic -condensation product secured thereto, substantially as described.

4. A sound record or other article'comprising a4 base of fusible resin containing a finely divided filling material distributed through the same, and a lsurface veenerl welded to said base, said veneer containing a' final hardened phenolic condensation product andv being sufficiently plastic at elevated temperatures to be pressed or molded, substantially as described.

5. A sound record or other article com-J prising a base of fusible phenolic resin containing a fibrous filling material distributed through the same, and a surface vveneer Welded to said base, said veneer having a smooth surface free from air bubbles and extraneous particles and being formed of a hard infusible product, substantially as described. l

6. A sound record or other object comprising a permaneintlyY thermo plastic base having a thin surface veener welded thereto, said veneer having a smooth surface free from air bubbles and extraneous particles and being formed of a final hardened phenolic condensation product of such a nature as to be permanently thermo plastic sufficiently to receive when heated a clear impression from a die, substantially as described.

7. A lsound record or other object comprising a base of permanently thermo plastic material having a finely divided filling material distributed through the same, and

having a thin surface veneerl welded thereto, said veneer having a smooth sur-face free from air bubbles and extraneous particles and being formed of a final hardened infusible `phenoliccondensation product ofy heated a clear impression from a die, substantiallyas described. y

9. A sound record or other object-comprising a base of fusible phenolic resin having secured thereto a surface veneer of final hardened infusible 1phenolic condensation product of such a nature as to be permanently4 thermo plastic sufficiently to receive when heated a clear impression from adie, substantially as described.'

10. A sound record or other object coinprising a base of fusible phenolic resin having secured thereto a. surface veneer of hard infusible material of such a nature as lto become sufficiently plastic when heated to receive a clear impression-froma die, substantially as described. a i l .111 A so`und record. or other object comprising a-base of fusible phenolic .resin having a fibrous filling materialv distributed *l through the same and having a surface veneer welded thereto, said veneer having a smooth surface free from air bubbles and extraneous particles and-being formed of a hard permanently thermo plastic material, .v

substantially as described.

l2. A sound record or other obj-ect comprising a base containing a fusible phenolic resin and having a surface veneer of hardened phenolic condensation product secured thereto, substantially as described.

13. A sound reco-rd orvother object comprising a base containing wood fiber and a suitable thermo plastic binder therefor, and a surface layer of hardened phenolic condensation product, said surface layer being sufficiently -thermo plastic to take when heatedh a clear impression from a die, `substantially as described. fifi 14. A sound record or other object comprising a base containing wood fiber and a suitable thermo plastic binder therefor, the rllhis specification signed and witnessed ller beilng in excess of theblinlder, fnd a this 2nd day of September 1914. sur ace ayer containinoa a har ened phenolic condensation poduct, said surface JONAS W AYLSWORTH' 5 layer being sufficiently thermo plastic to Witnesses:

- take when heated a elegir impression from a FREDERICK BACHMANN,

die, substantially as described. MARX J. LAIDLAW. 

